Control device, connector, and audio interface system for electronic devices

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods to permit control and operation of an electronic device while participating in another activity, including a variety of sports and recreational activities. A control device, breakaway connector, and one or more speakers and microphones are provided and configured to enhance the ability of users to answer or end telephone calls or start, stop, or resume audio output to the speakers while a user is in motion or wearing gloves that would render the use of conventional call answer buttons difficult or impossible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of pending U.S. Nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/229,899, filed on Mar. 29, 2014 and entitled“System for Control and Operation of Electronic Devices”, which was aContinuation of U.S. Nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.13/186,467, filed on Jul. 19, 2011 and entitled “Sports MusiComHeadset”, now abandoned. Said application claimed benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/386,114, filed on Sep. 24, 2010 andentitled “Sports MusiCom Headset”. The instant application is commonlyowned with, claims domestic benefit of, and incorporates herein byreference all three of the applications enumerated above (Ser. Nos.14/229,899, 13/186,467, and 61/386,114) in their entireties and for alluseful purposes. In the event of inconsistency between anything statedin this specification and anything incorporated by reference in thisspecification, this specification shall govern.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to stereophonic cellular telephone headsetsystems, specifically to systems adapted for use in conjunction with avariety of sports and recreational activities, and providing a means forconnecting external speakers and microphones to cellular telephones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When communicating through a cellular telephone, it is often desirable,for convenience and safety purposes, to utilize external speakers andmicrophones.

The external devices are connected to the cellular telephone either bywires or through wireless communication. These devices allow the user tocommunicate without having to hold the cellular telephone next to theirear, which would otherwise be necessary to allow the speaker andmicrophone to function properly. The user's hand, which would normallybe used to hold the cellular telephone, is then free to be used forother tasks. It also prevents fatigue of the arm that can occur whenholding a telephone for extended periods of time. Furthermore, it issafer because the user's coordination and focus are enhanced foralternative purposes. This is of particular concern when the user isperforming sports or recreational activities that require the continuoususe of both hands, e.g. snow skiing, biking, or motorcycle riding toname a few. Finally, there is concern over the safety of radio wavesemitted by cellular phones when the phones are in close proximity to thehead of a user. Thus, the cellular telephone can be moved away from theuser's head, thereby reducing the impact of such radiation.

Cellular telephones are often packaged with external speaker/microphonedevices that allow for hands-free functionality. These devices are notalways acceptable to the user. The devices often contain “ear-buds” thatare uncomfortable and/or prone to disengaging with the ear and fallingout, or otherwise of undesirable quality. As such, a variety ofthird-party products have been introduced to the market. Third-partyproducts are produced with modified ear bud assemblies or headphones,and sometimes relocated microphones. Both wired and wireless(Bluetooth®) varieties are available.

There are three basic types of third-party devices available on themarket. One type of device is a combination speaker/microphone unitconnected wirelessly to the cellular telephone. A second type of deviceis a combination speaker/microphone unit connected to the cellulartelephone using wires. A third type of device uses a wired configurationcontaining an integral microphone and headphone plug. This allows anystandard headphone to be connected to the adapter cable, but has thedrawback of requiring the use of the supplied microphone. Thismicrophone may be inconvenient to the user due to its location along theadapter cable (including possibility of picking up excess backgroundnoise) or low quality.

A significant disadvantage of the available adapter cables is that theydo not allow the use of third-party wired combination speaker/microphoneunits with standard, independent speaker and female phone jacks. Theseunits are widely available for use in, among other things,communications via personal computer. Many users prefer specific devicesdue to comfort and functionality that suits their individual purposes.These devices cannot generally be connected to cellular telephones dueto non-standard plug connections present on most models.

In particular, the Apple iPhone®, which has achieved enormous commercialsuccess, uses a non-standard speaker/microphone female phone jack. Noknown adapters are available that provide standard female headphonejacks and microphone jacks to allow a standard combinationspeaker/microphone unit with independent male headphone and microphoneplugs to be connected to an iPhone®.

Additionally, for certain sports and recreational activities where theuser is in motion, many of the available devices are particularlyproblematic because the headsets may not be securely held in place, andfree wires may snag on foreign objects such as tree branches in thevicinity of the user. In addition, microphone placement may besub-optimal, even to the point of being non-functional, due to excessivewind noise or muffling due to the user's clothing blocking themicrophone. Finally, while these devices are often equipped with remotebuttons for answering incoming telephone calls, user interface with thebutton may be difficult due to the button's placement or configuration,especially if the user is wearing gloves or other clothing that mayinterfere with the operation. Answer buttons are typically very small,require a significant degree of dexterity to operate, and may even bedifficult to locate in some circumstances. Due to operationaldifficulties, users of these devices may fail to answer incomingtelephone calls that they wish to answer.

Certain devices adapted to specific sports or recreational activitieshave been developed to solve some of the above-mentioned issues.However, none of the presently known devices are universally adapted toa variety of non-related activities.

For instance, cold weather hats for use with, e.g. snow skiing, such asthat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,451 to Graham, have been fittedwith headphones and are connectable to portable music players. Thesehats are not, however, fitted with microphones and may not beconnectable to cellular telephones for two-way communication. These hatsare typically manufactured with heavy fabric well-suited for coldweather sports but ill-suited for warm weather activities.

Also in the prior art are helmet systems with integrated communications.U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,256 to Steelman discloses a motorcycle helmet with abuilt-in speaker and microphone, whereby the rider and passenger maycommunicate with one another. These devices are permanently mounted tothe interior of the motorcycle helmet, and thus may not be adapted touses that do not require use of the helmet.

Other known devices may have wider application but present someoperational difficulties for use with sports activities. U.S. Pat. No.6,069,964 to Yang discloses an earphone arrangement comprising a bandtraversing the back of the head to hold the speakers in place, and aboom microphone. This device may be less comfortable or secure thandesired by a user performing sports or recreational activities, and themicrophone will likely function inadequately in windy conditions.

There are no known existing solutions to address the difficulties of thepresent cellular telephone call answer buttons. “Walkie-talkie” typebuttons, such as that depicted in International Patent Publication No.WO/2004/107787 of Bataillard, are typically mounted to the body of thetransceiver or to a remote speaker/microphone device wired back to thetransceiver. These devices are not ideally suited for sports andrecreation activities. They are relatively bulky, heavy, and expensiveto produce. Additionally, they would be more difficult to operate thanthe slap switch described herein.

What is needed, therefore, is a universal headset device functional fora variety of sports and recreational activities. The headset, speaker,and microphone should be securely held in place, even while the user isin motion. The microphone should be placed in a position that willenhance the pickup response while limiting the interference from, e.g.wind or clothing. A breakaway connector between the cellular telephoneand headset would prevent potentially dangerous or destructive snags onforeign objects and further provide the user with the ability todisengage the headset portion from the remaining components of thedevice. The headset itself would secure the earphones and microphone inplace on the wearer's head comfortably even while wearing a helmet orother headgear over it. Additionally, an answer button in the style of a“slap switch” should be included to facilitate its operation even whilethe user is wearing, e.g. heavy gloves. Ideally, this headset would besuitable for both cold and warm weather activities. Moreover, theheadset could also be used to listen to music since many modern cellulartelephones are also portable music players.

Additional functionality would be realized by incorporating an adaptercable that would allow the user to connect independent headphones andmicrophones of their choice to their cellular telephone. The slap switchmay also be incorporated into the adapter. A further benefit would beprovided by supplying “patch” cables that allow the adapter to beconnected to a variety of common cellular telephone models.

In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no cellular telephone headsetsystem exists that meets the above design criteria, particularly in theconfigurations disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cellular telephoneheadset with at least one speaker (and preferably two speakers forstereophonic music reproduction) and a microphone mounted within auniversal helmet-liner suitable for use in conjunction with a variety ofsports and recreational helmets and hats. The speaker and microphone areheld in place by, e.g. a hook and loop fastening system (e.g., Velcro®)or stretchable fabric, so they may be removed to wash the helmet-liner.The helmet-liner is ideally constructed of a breathable material, makingit suitable for warm weather use without overheating the user. Themicrophone is ideally placed on or near the chinstrap for optimumclarity and minimal wind and clothing interference. A noise cancelingmicrophone may be provided, which is built into the chin strap so as torest the microphone against the user's throat, thereby minimizingdisturbances from external sources, such as wind. Other headgear, suchas a motorcycle helmet, bicycle helmet, or ski hat may be placed overthe helmet-liner, as desired by the user.

It is another object of the invention to enhance the ability of users toanswer or end telephone calls while the user is in motion or wearinggloves that would render the use of conventional call answer buttonsdifficult or impossible. A telephone answer button in the style of a“slap switch” will avoid the need for the user to search for the buttonand fumble with the operation thereof. The call is answered by momentaryshorting of the two wires leading to the microphone connection when theuser slaps the switch. Ideally, the slap switch would be relativelylarge compared to prior art cellular telephone answer switches, butcompact enough to avoid excessive bulkiness. An active area suitable forengaging the switch of at least one square inch is desired.Approximately four square inches is preferable, and the active area mayrange in sizes of nine square inches or larger. This eliminates the needfor precision, thus making the device suitable for use with sports andrecreational activities. The slap switch may be clipped onto the usersclothing or placed inside a pocket, as desired.

It is another object of the invention to provide a breakaway collarconnector between the helmet-liner and the slap switch to prevent snags.The breakaway connector comprises two “halves” containing a plurality ofelectrical contact elements and one or more magnets to hold the halvesin place during normal operation. One half of the breakaway connector iswired to the slap switch and then from the slap switch to a cellulartelephone connector tip. The other half of the breakaway connector iswired to the speakers and microphone of the headset.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adaptercomprising a standard (3.5-mm) female phone jack, with a cellulartelephone audio input/output jack on the opposite end, which will allowoperation with a standard headset of the user's choice. A slap switchmay also be incorporated into the adapter. This will allow use of theslap switch with a user's preferred headset, in the case that the userselects a headset other than the head liner system described herein. Twoindependent connections are therefore provided: one standard headphoneconnector, and one standard microphone connector. These independentconnections can be located adjacent to one another in a duplexarrangement or on separate wires branching off of the cellular telephoneconnection in a simplex arrangement.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide “patch”cables to allow use of the headset device with different cellulartelephone models, which may contain nonstandard audio input/outputconnections.

It is envisioned that the present invention could be configured to beadaptable to portable music players. An additional configuration of thedevice is for use with two-way portable radio communications. Lawenforcement personnel, for instance, may find this embodiment to beparticularly useful. Without limitation, these and other embodiments maybe incorporated without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of this invention will be morereadily understood from the following detailed description of thevarious aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionshowing the headset worn by a user.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionshowing the headset worn by a user underneath a helmet.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present inventionshowing use of the present invention in conjunction with a standardheadset.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the breakaway connector, the slapswitch, and the duplex female phone jack.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the male half of the breakawayconnector.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the slap switch.

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram of the embodiment depicted in FIG.1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a schematic wiring diagram of the embodiment depicted in FIG.3 utilizing a duplex-type speaker and microphone connection.

FIG. 10 is a schematic wiring diagram of the embodiment depicted in FIG.3 utilizing two simplex-type speaker and microphone connections.

It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to scale. Thedrawings are merely schematic representations, not intended to portrayall specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended todepict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore shouldnot be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In thedrawings, like numbering represents like elements among the drawings. Inother words, for the sake of clarity and brevity, like elements andcomponents of each embodiment bear the same designations throughout thedescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts helmet-liner 20 secured to a user's head, preferablythrough the use of a hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro®) connector onchinstrap 32 or other suitable means known in the art, such asstretchable fabric. Left and right speakers 28 are mounted withinhelmet-liner 20 in position next to the user's ears. (Only the leftspeaker is shown in FIG. 1). Microphone 30 is mounted within chin strap32 near the user's chin. Connecting wires (not shown) for speakers 28and microphone 30 are preferably contained within helmet-liner 20 andchin strap 32. Wire 34 connects speaker 28 and microphone 30 tobreakaway connector 40. In a preferred embodiment, speakers 28,microphone 30, and connecting wires are contained in secure pockets ofhelmet-liner 20 but are removable by the user to facilitate washing ofhelmet-liner 20.

Breakaway connector 40 is designed to release wire 34 from wire 54 inthe event that excessive tension is placed on the line (e.g., from asnag) or if the user desires to separate helmet-liner 20 and associatedcomponents from the remaining components of headset 10. Slap switch 60is used to answer or hang up telephone calls and to start and stopmusic, and has the advantage of being easy to operate when the user isparticipating in sports or recreational activities, especially where theparticular activity would render it difficult or impossible to toggle amicro switch. Slap switch 60 is connected to cellular telephone plug 74by wire 72.

FIG. 2 depicts headset 10 secured to a user, with a sports helmet (notpart of the present invention) worn over top of helmet-liner 20. Headset10 comprises helmet-liner 20, breakaway connector 40, wire clip 76, slapswitch 60, and cellular telephone plug 74. Use of the sports helmet isoptional. Helmet-liner 20 may also be worn independently, if desired. Anoptional carrying case 82 (also not part of the present invention)encapsulates the cellular telephone.

FIG. 3 depicts another embodiment of the present invention. Again, anoptional carrying case 82 is shown. Female duplex plug 80 comprisesstandard (3.5-mm) headphone and microphone connections. Female duplexplug 80 may alternatively be comprised of two simplex plugs.User-selected headset 84 (not part of the present invention) is worn bythe user and connected to female duplex plug 80. Not depicted in FIG. 3,but contained within a pouch that is part of optional carrying case 82,is slap switch 60. Slap switch 60 may also be attached to a user'sclothing as shown in FIG. 2. A breakaway connector may also be providedwith this arrangement. Similarly, standard 3.5-mm speaker and microphoneconnections, as shown in FIG. 3, may be incorporated into the headsetsystem of FIG. 2. The resulting system would, therefore, be compatibleboth with helmet-liner 20 and a standard headset selected by the user,thereby allowing the user to select the most suitable headsetarrangement for a given situation.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of breakaway connector 40, slap switch60, and female duplex plug 80. Breakaway connector 40 comprises maleconnector 42 and female connector 43 with internal electrical contactsand retaining magnets. Slap switch 60 is shown in a substantiallytriangular shape, although one skilled in the art can appreciate that avariety of shapes are possible. Female duplex plug 80 comprises speakerplug 85 and microphone plug 86. An alternative embodiment employs twofemale simplex plugs in place of female duplex plug 80.

FIG. 5 shows male connector 42 of breakaway connector 40. Male connector42 comprises magnets 46 and electrical prongs 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D.Female connector 43 (not shown) is configured to mate with maleconnector 42, and contains magnets or metallic plates that correspond inposition to magnets 46 to hold both connector halves in place duringnormal operation. Also, electrical recesses are included to mate withmale prongs 50A, 50B, 50C, and SOD to close the electrical connectionsbetween mating segments of breakaway connector 40.

FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of slap switch 60. Electrically parallelswitches 68, positioned between base 62 and slap pad 64, are functionalfor answering or hanging up cellular telephone calls when depressed, orfor starting, stopping, and resuming music. The location of switches 68near the perimeter of slap pad 64 facilitates their operation when forceis applied to slap pad 64 at irregular positions or angles. Switches 68are normally held open by, e.g. springs or elastomeric materials ofconstruction that apply a force opposing the internal electrical switchcontacts (not pictured). Support guides 66 and 70 hold base 62 and slappad 64 together and allow for a limited degree of swiveling to close oneor more electrical switches 68 when slap switch 60 is activated by theuser. Wires 54 and 72 (not shown on FIG. 6) are attached to base 62.

FIG. 7 shows the schematic wiring of the embodiment presented in FIG. 1and FIG. 2. Slap switch 60 is shown with three parallel electricalswitches, which may be appropriate for a triangular-shaped slap switch.This is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, as anyreasonable number of parallel switches, or a single switch, may be usedwith this device. Cellular telephone plug 74 comprises electricalcontacts 90A, 90B, 90C, and 90D that mate with internal electricalcontacts of a cellular telephone. The contacts 90A-D are electricallyconnected to speakers 28 and microphone 30 via insulated conductors inthe manner shown. Slap switch 60 is a resilient switch that remains inthe open position, as shown, when not pressed by the user to activate.When slap switch 60 is pressed, at least one of parallel electricalswitches 68 close to complete an electrical circuit and short out theleads across microphone 30. This activates functions on the cellulartelephone. Specifically, it answers and hangs up telephone calls, orstarts, stops, and resumes music play. Use of slap switch 60 may alsoactivate other functions on the phone, such as starting and stopping thestreaming of music to speakers 28.

FIG. 8 depicts adapter 73 with a standard 3.5-mm, four-connector, maleplug for insertion into many cellular telephone models. At the oppositeend of adapter 73 is female duplex plug 80 (or, alternatively, twofemale simplex plugs) for connection to a variety of standard headsets.Slap switch 60 is included to facilitate starting, stopping, andresuming music play, and answering and ending cellular telephone calls.

FIG. 9 depicts the wiring system for connection of a cellular telephoneto a standard headset, or alternatively to one or more speakers and amicrophone with standard 3.5-mm male plugs. Cellular telephone plug 74is electrically connected to speaker plug 85 and microphone plug 86 viainsulated conductors 92, in the manner shown. Female duplex plug 80comprises speaker plug 85 and microphone plug 86, which are bothstandard 3.5-mm female jacks. Slap switch 60 may be activated tomomentarily short the leads across the microphone terminals, asdescribed herein.

FIG. 10 shows an electrically equivalent arrangement as that depicted inFIG. 9, but with speaker plug 85 and microphone plug 86 arranged in asimplex configuration. Cellular telephone plug 74 is electricallyconnected to speaker plug 85 via insulator conductor 94, and tomicrophone plug 86 via insulated conductor 96.

OPERATION

In operation, cellular telephone plug 74 is inserted into a cellulartelephone female audio input/output connection. Alternatively, a patchcable may be used to translate a nonstandard cellular telephoneconnection to a standard 3.5-mm plug, and cellular telephone plug 74 maythen be inserted into a female plug of the patch cable. Helmet-liner 20is worn over the user's head, and male segment 42 is engaged with femalesegment 43 of breakaway connector 40. Many modern cellular telephonescan send an audio (e.g., music) signal to speakers 28. Generally, anaudible signal will be transmitted on top of the audio signal when theuser receives an incoming telephone call. The user may then momentarilyactivate slap switch 60 to answer the call, and activate it again tohang up. Alternatively, when the cellular telephone is being utilized asa portable music player, slap switch 60 is used to start, stop, andresume music play.

Operation for the configuration depicted in FIG. 2 is similar. Malespeaker and microphone plugs are inserted into female speaker plug 85and microphone plug 86, respectively. The operation of slap switch 60 isas described above.

Since other modifications and changes to the novel headset will beapparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not consideredlimited to the description above for purposes of disclosure, and coversall changes and modifications which do not constitute departures fromthe true spirit and scope of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected byPatent is presented in the subsequently appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control device for an electronic device, saidcontrol device comprising: A. an assembly comprising a first surface anda second surface normally separated from each other but capable of: i.temporarily displacing toward each other whenever either surface issubjected to an activation force, and ii. returning to said normallyseparated position when said force is removed; B. more than oneelectrical switch disposed between said first and second surfaces, allof said switches electrically configured to provide an identicalswitching function such that said temporary displacement will cause atleast one of said more than one electrical switch to operate; and C. atleast one wired connection in control signal communication with theelectronic device.
 2. The control device of claim 1 wherein saidelectronic device is one of a telephone, a music player, or a two-waycommunication radio.
 3. The control device of claim 1 further comprisingelastomeric material or one or more springs disposed between said firstsurface and said second surface operative to provide separation betweensaid surfaces in the absence of said activation force.
 4. The controldevice of claim 1 wherein said first surface and second surface areframelessly interconnected by two or more support guides disposedbetween said surfaces within a periphery thereof and are configured toallow only a limited degree of movement therebetween.
 5. The controldevice of claim 1 wherein said first surface and said second surface arecapable of said temporary displacement causing said switch activation asa result of said activation force applied at an arbitrary position orangle.
 6. The control device of claim 1 wherein said control signalcommunication comprises one or more commands to perform at least one ofany of answering a telephone call, terminating a telephone call,stopping audio output from said electronic device, and starting orresuming audio output from said electronic device.
 7. The control deviceof claim 1 wherein said at least one wired connection comprises at leastone of any of: A. a cable and a connector capable of connecting to saidelectronic device; and B. a jack and an adapter cable capable ofconnecting between the control device and said electronic device.
 8. Thecontrol device of claim 1 further comprising more than one wiredconnection and at least one external input device, at least one externaloutput device, or at least one external input device and at least oneexternal output device, wherein a first of said more than one wiredconnection is in control signal communication with said electronicdevice and at least a second of said more than one wired connection isin audio signal communication with at least one of any of said at leastone external input device and said at least one external output device.9. The control device of claim 8 wherein said at least one externalinput device comprises one or more microphone(s) and said at least oneexternal output device comprises one or more speaker(s).
 10. Anelectronic control system connector comprising: A. a first cabletermination mechanically and electrically connected to a first cable,said termination comprising more than one electrical contact disposed onan essentially planar contact surface; B. a second cable terminationmechanically and electrically connected to a second cable, saidtermination comprising more than one electrical contact disposed on anessentially planar contact surface; and C. one or more magneticcontact(s) disposed on said first cable termination, said second cabletermination, or said first cable termination and said second cabletermination; wherein said first and second cable terminations areconfigured to establish continuity across said more than one electricalcontact of the first and second cable terminations when said contactsurfaces are engaged via magnetic attraction with the plane of thecontact surfaces forming an acute angle to the orientation of said firstand second cables when said cables are taut.
 11. The electronic controlsystem connector of claim 10 wherein said contact surfaces areconfigured to disengage from each other when at least one of any of saidterminations, said second cable, and said third cable is subjected toinadvertent or intentional tension.
 12. The electronic control systemconnector of claim 10 wherein at least one of said more than oneelectrical contacts in each of said first cable termination and saidsecond cable termination is configured to communicate control signals,audio signals, or control signals and audio signals.
 13. The electroniccontrol system connector of claim 10 wherein said first cabletermination and said second cable termination are identical.
 14. Theelectronic control system connector of claim 10 wherein the electrical,magnetic, or electrical and magnetic contacts of said first cabletermination and said second cable terminations comprise one or moremale-female contact configuration(s).
 15. A control system for anelectronic device, the system comprising: A. a first connector capableof connecting to the electronic device; B. a first cable mechanicallyand electrically connected at a first end to said first connector; C. acontrol device mechanically and electrically connected at a second endof said first cable, said control device comprising: i. an assemblycomprising a first surface and a second surface normally separated fromeach other but capable of: a. temporarily displacing toward each otherwhenever either surface is subjected to an activation force, and b.returning to said normally separated position when said force isremoved; ii. more than one electrical switch disposed between said firstand second surfaces, all of said switches electrically configured toprovide an identical switching function such that said temporarydisplacement will cause at least one of said more than one electricalswitch to operate; D. a second cable mechanically and electricallyconnected at a first end to said control device; E. a first cabletermination mechanically and electrically connected at a second end ofsaid second cable, said termination comprising more than one electricalcontact on an essentially planar contact surface; F. a third cablecapable of mechanically and electrically connecting at a first end to atleast one of any of an external input device, an external output device,or an external input device and an external output device; G. a secondcable termination mechanically and electrically connected at a secondend of said third cable, said termination comprising more than oneelectrical contact disposed on an essentially planar contact surface;wherein said first and second cable terminations are configured toengage and establish continuity across said more than one electricalcontact of the first and second cable terminations when said contactsurfaces are engaged via magnetic attraction with the plane of thecontact surfaces forming an acute angle to the orientation of said firstand second cables when said cables are taut, and wherein the controlsystem is configured to: a. communicate control signals from saidcontrol device to said electronic device via said first cable and saidfirst connector; b. communicate audio signals from said external inputdevice to said electronic device via said third cable, said second andfirst cable terminations, said second cable, said control device, saidfirst cable, and said first connector whenever the contact surfaces ofsaid first and second cable terminations are engaged; c. communicateaudio signals from said electronic device to said external output devicevia said first connector, said first cable, said control device, saidsecond cable, said first and second cable terminations, and said thirdcable whenever the contact surfaces of said first and second cableterminations are engaged; and d. disengage the contact surfaces of saidfirst and second cable terminations from each other when at least one ofany of said terminations, said second cable, and said third cable issubjected to inadvertent or intentional tension.
 16. The control systemof claim 15 wherein said electronic device is one of a telephone, amusic player, or a two-way communication radio.
 17. The control systemof claim 15 wherein said first and second surfaces of said assembly arecapable of said temporary displacement causing said switch activation asa result of said activation force applied at an arbitrary position orangle.
 18. The control system of claim 15 wherein said control signalcommunication comprises one or more commands to perform at least one ofany of answering a telephone call, terminating a telephone call,stopping audio output from said electronic device, and starting orresuming audio output from said electronic device.
 19. The controlsystem of claim 15 wherein said first end of said third cable comprisesat least one of any of: A. a direct electrical and mechanical connectionto at least one of any of said external input device and said externaloutput device; and B. one or more jack(s), plug(s), or secondconnector(s) capable of connecting to at least one of any of saidexternal input device and said external output device.
 20. The controlsystem of claim 15 wherein said external input device comprises one ormore microphone(s) and said external output device comprises one or morespeaker(s), and wherein said first end of said third cable comprises atleast one of any of: A. a direct electrical and mechanical connection toat least one of any of said one or more microphone(s) and one or morespeaker(s); and B. one or more jack(s), plug(s), or second connector(s)capable of connecting to at least one of any of said one or moremicrophone(s) and one or more speaker(s).